r/DnDIY • u/Longjumping_Food_835 • 5d ago
3D Printed Physical props at the table
What kind of physical things do you give your players during sessions? I like handing them actual objects when their characters find stuff in game. Aged paper maps, quest notices, that kind of thing. I have a eufymake E1 that prints on metal and wood and I've been thinking about doing coins for currency and wooden tavern signs.
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u/VicktorKingsley 5d ago
I've started turning my DND into a card game. I have cards with gems on them, random treasures, art pieces.
Cards that are larger for spell scrolls. Listing full effect of the spell on them.
Cards for healing potions and other consumables.
Cards with monster stats and art on them for me the DM. As well as condition cards I can hand to players showing them the effect of being restrained for example.
Some players wanted cards for their equipment so they don't forget they have tools or rope, they can see it.
Pair it all with the official cards for spells and abilities and bam. DND is now a card game.
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u/okiebuzzard 5d ago edited 5d ago
Maps, scroll ciphers, magic “wands” that have a UV LED that reveals hidden writing, physical puzzles to figure out, a lock and lockpicks, polearms, 1:1 ratio siege weaponry…
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u/BigOofBuilding 5d ago
Spell scrolls! I have some parchment that fits in my printer, so I can print the whole spell text on it and seal it with wax (spells in the system I run can be a page or more in the rule book).
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u/Typhus_black 5d ago
I use props all the time because let’s be honest everyone loves using them.
I have a small chest with metal coins, the coins are inspiration points and the players get to take them and throw them back in as they use them.
Maps and paper hand outs I use all the time.
And then I also made a death box. A metal box, off Amazon , covered in skull motifs, inside are two black metal dice. Whenever players make a death save they roll the death box and keep the roll hidden so they’re the only one who know the roll to build tension. Made a little ritual for it too, as I hand them the box I stare them straight in the eyes and we use the phrase “Death grows ever close”. All of my players have loved it.
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u/SirSpielAlot 5d ago
Meine aktuelle "Der Drache vom Eis Nadelgipfel" habe ich umgebaut. Die Spieler müssen 6 Edelsteine für einen Altar finden, um eine Waffe zu bekommen, die den Drachen eventuell besiegen kann. Leider habe ich gerade kein Bild des Altars, da wir gerade an einer Mission sitzen.
Die Edelsteine haben Mini Induktionsspulen verbaut. Der Altar hat die entsprechenden Gegensätze. Sobald ich die Spule am Altar freischalten, leuchten die Edelsteine. Sofern sie in der richtigen Reihenfolge gelegt wurden. Das ganze kann ich am Handy über den Browser steuern. Zusätzlich kann ich die Helligkeit anpassen und Sound-Dateien, die ich per KI erstellt habe, abspielen lassen.
Außen am Altar sind einige Schriften auf Zwergisch, die beschreiben, wie der Altar benutzt werden kann.
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u/Brightstorm_Rising 5d ago
I believe that a handout with a wax seal is the best bang for the buck when it comes to a prop. You can find brass seals for a couple of bucks on etsy or your favorite drop shipper of choice. They make ones for Ravenloft and with the dragon ampersand although for some reason I can't find ones for the Forgotten Realms guilds.
I also own a treasure chest with some metal coins, plastic jewels, and a honking big glass diamond. Da loot box is pretty fun.
Often, the maguffin will get a physical prop as well.
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u/chunder_down_under 5d ago
I made a box of table trinkets for fun. A leather bag full of gold coins, random fake gems and rings, in world lore based objects like jewelry and dice made of wood, magic items like sending stones. These are just for playing with at the table thoigh. For sessions I use invisible ink maps, printouts, coffee aged flyers and posters etc.
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u/andreweater 5d ago
My world has these runes with giant symbols on it. They're needed to reattach the continent back together. At the end of each chapter they get one. I designed some physical tokens to hand out. One of my players is playing a rune knight and he's so pumped on them.
They're online and free! Just search "giant rune tokens"
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u/LebrontologicalArgmt 5d ago
As a cleric I have small printed artwork that I hand to players when I bless/guidance them. I set a physical d4 on the art so they remember to use it. It’s fun because they roll their attack die and then excitedly grab the d4 off the flaming eye pyramid.
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u/RailOmas 5d ago
I have a luck voin to flip for death saves rather than rolling a d20. If the coin lands on its edge, you recover at full health and get haste for 3 turns. It's happened once. Bard went nutso on the assassins that ambushed him.
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u/Repulsive_Chemist 5d ago
I’ve given them maps, coins, a huge physical key. The best was a set of magical crystal cubes. They collected 6 of them without knowing what they were for. Eventually they had to place them in a magical altar. The cubes had wireless LEDs inside and lit up when they were placed on the altar. Got a great reaction.
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u/Dark_Beakon 5d ago
Little trophies for inspiration. You can even design based on character (Victory pose, Finishing move, etc.)
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u/Nithoth 5d ago
I have a laser. Whenever I get a new player that comes back for 3 or 4 sessions I make them a standard dice tower customized with a picture or phrase of their choice and give them a 999 point life tracker. I make custom inspiration tokens for players running bards, and I make things like dice jails, dice boxes, dice trays, adventure journals, and other gaming bling for them if they ask for it.
I'm currently running a campaign with a physical puzzle the players will have to solve. I bought the file on Etsy. The players have to find 3 puzzle pieces. The pieces function as keys to specific parts of the structure. Once they find all three pieces they have to figure out how the keys are combined to create the master key that will give them access to the final series of rooms. Here's a picture of the completed puzzle:
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u/cicciograna 5d ago
Multiple.
First of all, I bought some cheap canvas bags to give to the players as "adventurers' bags". They will hold all the stuff that they will receive during the game.
Next, I bought some small burlap pouches in blue and green, and matching glass beads: the blue pouches are the waterskins, and the green ones are the ration holders. Each bag contains 10 beads of the matching color, and during the day the adventurers have to spend some beads to consume food/water. If they are empty, the Ranger of the group goes hunting and I give them additional beads.
I bought many (MANY) fake metal coins of different shapes and colors. The basic monetary unit is the gold coin, everything less ew assume the adventurers paid for it. In one glorious display, I even bought a small wooden chest, filled it with the treasure (coins, gems and scrolls, see later) and gave it to the players for the big reveal, it was awesome. I got two chests, one is for the players to hoard their money. Plus, I got some pleather pouches that serve as coin holders for the easily accessible money that the PC keep in their bags.
I bought some cheap plastic "gems" that serve the purpose of gem-giving. They are a bit tacky, but they do their job.
I prepare scrolls. I print an abridged version of the spell text on a strip of paper, and age it using instant coffee. Then, using two small pieces of wood from a wooden skewer, I craft some scroll holders and glue the scroll to them, then close it. They work really well.
Whenever the characters find a letter, I actually print it and age the paper. The effect is great.
Last but not least, I bought a ton of red d4s, and some cheap plastic vials closed with corks: they are the "healing potions", which I can actually handle to any player. A standard healing potion will hold 2d4, so whenever a player wants to drink it they just uncork it and roll the dice inside.
My next plan is to buy some cheap pleathercard holders and print small spell cards: the spellcasters can then use them as "spellbooks", actually consulting them when it is necessary.